Flannel Shirts and Feverish Minds
by DjDangerLove
Summary: Just a short story with an under the weather Jess and a protective Luke.
1. Chapter 1

Jess stared out the window of Luke's diner from where he stood behind the counter. It was sometime in the afternoon of a cold, stormy Tuesday, and the residents of Stars Hollow were all tucked warmly inside of their homes instead of the seemingly deserted diner. Well, all except Miss Patty, who was sipping a steaming cup of coffee as slowly as possible, and a middle aged man who was standing at the counter waiting on Luke to prepare his danish to-go. It had been a swamped day at the diner. Jess only worked for three hours after school and was ready to fall asleep standing up. Based on his uncle's bad mood and short temper, Jess knew Luke was worse for wear.

Jess could faintly hear the sound of the diner door opening and closing when the man left with his danish and out of the corner of his eye he could see Miss Patty eyeing him the whole way, even as he jogged out to his car in the rain. But the teenager couldn't focus on anything except the heat radiating from his skin, the chills that ran down his back, the twisting of his stomach and the pounding in his head. All Jess wanted to do was curl up on his mattress and go to sleep, but if he did that he knew Luke would find out he was sick, and his uncle didn't need that to top his day off.

Luke walked over to the table Miss Patty was seated at. With half of her coffee gone, she placed the mug on the table once the diner owner was present beside her.

"Luke dear, I can't help but notice your troubled nephew. What's the matter with him?"

Luke tightened his jaw as the town's main gossiper referred to Jess as his "troubled nephew". The kid had issues, sure, but so do all other teenagers. Jess just has more than others.

"Jess is fine, Patty. Now drink your coffee, we are closing in fifteen minutes." Luke replied as calmly and with as little annoyance as possible.

"Luke if you call that fine, you better be putting him on the next bus to New York. He's been standing there for ten minutes staring out the window at nothing! I say, he could be sick or he's most likely on drugs or-"

"Patty! Jess. Is. Fine! He is not sick! He is not on drugs! And I'm not sending him back to New York! He is staying in Stars Hollow, whether you like it or not! We are closing in ten minutes, whether you like it or not! And you will have to leave without your coffee, if you don't stop accusing my nephew of being "troubled" or on drugs, whether you like it or not!" Luke fumed over the diner table. He knew he had over reacted the second he saw the embarrassed, hurt look flash across his customer's face. "I'm sorry, Miss Patty. It's been a long day."

"Oh it's quite alright Luke. With a nephew like Jess, no one blames you for getting worked up." Patty replied patting Luke on the arm then going back to sipping her coffee with a smirk. Luke gave a forced smile before making his way behind the counter to where his nephew looked like he was doing all he could to stand up. Luke raised a skeptic eyebrow.

"Jess?" Luke asked, full concern showing in his tone.

No response.

"Jess!" Luke called louder and more forcefully, as Patty's previous words rang in his ears.

Jess wasn't aware of the first time his uncle called his name. He missed the worry and concern his uncle had for him. But when he heard his uncle yell his name, the only thing Jess's mind allowed him to concluded was that his uncle was angry with him for not working.

"I-I'm sorry, Luke. I'll st-start cleaning the tables." Jess stammered while he mentally cursed for stuttering in front of the annoyed diner owner.

Luke was shocked by the reaction his nephew gave and looked between Jess and Patty who was getting ready to leave. He was watching her apply more lipstick when the sound of glass shattering made the woman jump and smear a red streak across her cheek. Luke quickly turned around to see Jess standing completely still.

"Jess..." Luke started but his nephew gave no notion of hearing him. Jess bent down and started picking up the shards of broken glass with bare hands.

"Jess! What the hell are you doing?" Luke screamed as he stormed his way over.

Jess jumped as his uncle yelled at him and the piece of glass he was fingering cut deep across his palm but when he saw Luke walking over to him he quickly hid his bleeding hand in his pocket and stood up. He swayed slightly but the only other person who noticed was Patty who still sat glued to her chair in shock at the scene before her. Jess took one look at his fuming uncle and his feverish mind automatically went back to all those nights of beating tormented by Liz's boyfriends. Feeling to sick and hurt to deal with being yelled at or worse, Jess did the only thing he knew to do.

He ran. He ran out of the diner as fast and as far as his wobbly legs would carry him. He couldn't see where he was going but he knew he was going towards the bridge. It was dark outside, the only light coming from the streaks of lightning that lit up the night sky for split seconds at a time. The rain poured heavily, soaking the teen's clothes, chilling him even more. Jess couldn't distinguish the thunder from the sound of his blood pumping and heart beat in his ears. With every footfall his chest tighten, restricting his breathing until he reached the bridge and tripped on a broken limb of a near by tree. It sent him falling into the muddy ground below where he just laid there too tired to move. He coughed and he cried as he struggled to breathe. Panic started to settle into his chest until strong familiar hands grasped his upper arms and pull him into a tight embrace. His head fell on a heaving chest and he grasped the soaked flannel shirt he knew would be there. He winced slightly when he realized it was his injured hand but didn't let go.

He felt Luke move and began to think he was leaving.

"N-no. No. P-p-please sta-ay." Jess begged.

Luke was taken back by his nephew's plea. One because Jess should know by now that he would never leave him and two because of his nephew's stuttered speech due to that fact he was freezing. Luke knew he had to get Jess back to the diner. He could feel the heat radiating off of his nephew and knew he already had a fever.

"It's okay, Jess. I got ya. You're okay, kiddo. Everything's going to be alright. I'm not going anywhere." Luke reassured his trembling nephew who had curled himself into the diner owner's chest. "Let's get you back to the diner, ok, Jess?"

After a few moments he felt a soft nod and began to pry Jess's hands off of him so he could move to stand the both of them up, but stopped when his nephew cried out and retracted his hand from his grasp. Not sure what was wrong, Luke carefully took hold of Jess's hand and turned it over to look at his palm. Once he saw the deep gash that ran across it, he tore off part of his shirt and wrapped it tightly around the wound, only receiving a slight wince from Jess. But when he was done, Jess grasped a fistful of his shirt yet again and held on to him as he buried his head deeper into his uncle's chest.

Luke tightened his grip on Jess and ran a hand through his soaked hair as he began to think of a way he was going to get them both back to the diner before the only place Jess needed to be was the hospital, if that wasn't already the case.

* * *

**AN: I just felt the need to write an ill Jess / protective Luke story. This is what it came up to be. Let me know what you think and if you'd like me to finish it up with another chapter. **


	2. Chapter 2

Jess was sitting in chair at the first table near the door of Luke's diner with his head resting on the table. The teen noticed he was in dry clothes, how that had happened he wasn't sure, but he was too tired to be mortified at the thought of Luke changing his clothes. He was vaguely aware of the people standing around him and walking about the diner. He was shivering violently and was relieved when a thick blanket was placed around his shoulders. With slender, shaking fingers he gently grabbed the corners and pulled it closer round him, keeping his head on the table. He opened glassy eyes when a cold, soft hand unlike Luke's, rested on his forehead. His vision was slightly blurred, but he could still make out the outline of Lorelai Gilmore kneeling down next to him looking up at him with a foreign expression of concern for him.

"Jess?"

The teenager winced as her loud voice did nothing to help his aching head, but gave a small smile when she whispered her apology.

"How are you feeling?" She asked in a hushed tone.

Embarrassed and cringing at all of the concern that was being directed toward him, he weakly raised his head from the table, squeezing his eyes shut when the world started to tilt but managed to mumble, " `m fine." before laying his head back down.

"Oh yeah. Sure. You're just the picture of perfect health." She replied sarcastically. Knowing she wasn't getting anywhere with Jess she made her way over to talk to Luke who was standing near the counter just staring at his nephew.

"Luke, can I talk to you in the back for a minute?" She asked as the both of them turned to look at Miss Patty who had refused to leave from the diner. When Luke took off after Jess she had immediately called Lorelai and told her to come to the diner.

Once in the back, Luke turned back to Lorelai.

"I can't do this, Lorelai! I don't know what's wrong with him! He pitched a fit when I told him he need to be taken to the hospital and he was already miserable so I didn't want to make him even more miserable by being poked and prodded with a thousand needles in the ER but you saw him! He looks like death warmed over! I'm not a doctor and that's what Jess needs right now! Not some diner owner! He could be dying for all I know and I just sat him down at a table in my diner like I was going to serve him breakfast. What kind of Uncle does that, Lorelai? I can't do this!" Luke rambled in a panic state.

Lorelai grabbed Luke's arms and shook him.

"LUKE! Breath. In and out. Come on. Just take a deep breath and relax." Luke did as he was told and after a few moments Lorelai continued.

"Now, Luke, listen. You. Can. Do. This. You've been doing great the past few months with him. Just because he gets sick doesn't mean it's the end of the world. Everybody gets sick. It's common!"

"Yes! But when other kids get sick they usually tell their parent or guardian or somebody! And usually they don't have to tell anybody because the parents always notice those types of things! I didn't even notice he was sick! Oh and most kids don't take off running in the middle of a thunderstorm either! I can't do this!" Luke shot back.

"Luke, you and I both know that Jess isn't like other kids. He is a teenager. He thinks that he shouldn't need anybody to help him. That he doesn't need an adult to take care of him. But it's your job to teach him that he does and that it's okay for him to need you! And for the last time, you can do this! He is your nephew and despite what everyone else in this town thinks of him, you love him. You see everything in him that all the other closed minded people of Stars Hollow can't! You care about him Luke, and everyone knows that you would do anything and everything for him, to take care of him and protect him. You can't shield him from everything Luke. Now matter how much you wish that nothing in the world would happen to your kid, something eventually will and when it does that is when you are there for them to tell them it's ok and let them know they aren't alone and to get them the help they need even if they don't want it. Jess knows that you just want to help him by taking him to the hospital, but the reason he refuses to go is because the thinks you can fix him. He knows you'll take care of him Luke. He loves you just as much. So yes, you can do this." Lorelai reason as she shook the diner owner's arms.

"You're right. I just have to take charge of the situation. Do what's best for Jess even if he doesn't see how it is helping or doesn't want it." Luke nodded his head and took a deep breath.

Lorelai was about to respond but Miss Patty startled them both when she stormed into the back.

"Luke! Luke! Hurry! Something is wrong with Jess! Hurry, help him!" The town's main gossiper frantically yelled. Immediately Luke ran back out into the diner and felt his heart drop when he saw his nephew sitting on his knees on the floor doubled over coughing harshly.

Luke dropped to the floor in front of his nephew and patted his back in an attempt to help the kid.

"Jess? Come on, Jess, easy kid." Luke coaxed and after a few more minutes Jess's coughs lessened.

Luke watched in horror as Jess let his hands fall from covering his mouth and saw drops of blood on his shaking hands. Jess's eyes widened and he looked up at his uncle with nothing but fear in his glassy eyes.

"L-Luke?" Jess asked in such a small voice his uncle almost didn't hear him. Luke bit his lip as he glanced behind Jess at Lorelai and Patty then turned his attention back to his nephew.

"It's alright, Jess." Luke reassured as he wrapped a protective arm around Jess's waist and held one of the kid's arms with his other. The diner owner hauled them both off the floor supporting most if his nephew's weight as Luke walked them out of the diner and towards his truck.

Jess knew his uncle was taking him to the hospital, and tried to weakly pull away but his uncle stopped him.

"No Jess. We have to go." Luke said sternly as he helped Jess into the truck. Jess looked at his uncle with a new fear showing in his eyes once he was seated in the passenger seat, Luke standing next to him with the door still open.

"Please don't leave me." Jess whispered looking away from his uncle embarrassed.

Luke clenched his jaw as he thought of what could have possibly happened in the past to this kid for him to think that Luke was just going to drop him off at the hospital and leave.

"I'm not going anywhere, kiddo." Luke reassured. He stepped back and shut the truck door. As he made his way around to get in the driver's side, he waved at Lorelai and Patty, but quickly stopped and opened his mouth to say something.

"I'll lock up, Luke!" Lorelai stated knowing full well what Luke had just now remembered. "And I'll meet you at the hospital once I'm done." She smiled.

Luke smiled back with a nod of the head. He knew he loved that woman for a reason.

With one last look at Jess, he sped off.


End file.
